A moderate Democrat, he also stood out for breaking with the establishment. From his stint as Pennsylvanias attorney general to his gubernatorial campaign ads to his victory speech, Shapiro has long woven his Jewish identity into his politics making him an archetype for a new breed of Jewish politician. A narrator explains that Mastrianos campaign paid the website, the same one where Robert Bowers posted antisemitic screeds before police say he massacred 11 people in 2018 at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue. Pennsylvania Gov. Copyright 2023 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A week ahead of the election, Shapiro is in a double-digit lead compared to his Republican counterpart according to a survey released byMuhlenberg College/Morning Call. Josh and Lori live in Montgomery County with their three school age sons, and their eldest daughter attends the University of Pittsburgh. He also led a widely publicized investigation of child abuse in the Roman Catholic church. Shapiro, a type-A attorney general running to be the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, rocks in his pew. Throughout my life, I've been dedicated to two things: my family and public service. The top Republican in the state house, Bryan Cutler, is ready for what Shapiro is calling a reset in a relationship. And that we were going to rally against that hate., Shapiro likes to say that he took on the most powerful organization in the universe: the Roman Catholic Church.. Shapiro has stayed largely out of the public eye since his election, instead focusing on putting together a transition team and preparing for his inauguration on Tuesday. People who know Shapiro say that the same ambition that pushes him to take on big fights (and might fuel a future run for the White House; he insists the rumors of his interest are not true) also has a downside. At a young age, Shapiro started a worldwide letter-writing program, known as Children for Avi, on behalf of Russian Jewish refuseniks. Statewide elections are always close here, he says. Details. Afterward, he walked across the street in Squirrel Hill, the beating heart of Pittsburghs Jewish community, to a prayer vigil. Schatz said Shapiro remained sensitive to the issues affecting the Jewish community, helping expand Medicare assistance for the elderly, instituting Holocaust education and targeting terrorist-backing countries like Iran for sanctions. I wrote changes to House rules that ended wasteful perks like taxpayer-funded private car leases, fought for greater transparency as a co-author of the Open Records Law, required time for public input before voting on bills so laws weren't passed in secret and I shed light on a $200 million slush fund legislators squirreled away for themselves. mail Email. Pennsylvania was founded on religious pluralism, it was founded by Quakers, she said. Instead, he deliberately highlights his religiosity to appeal to Christians and people of other faiths who might feel alienated by Mastrianos brand of religion-tinged conservatism. Some people from the community spoke. Until we reformed our pension system, Wall Street was charging excessive fees, and limiting the county's rate of return. Josh Shapiro. (DeWeese and Perzel both ended up serving time in prison.). In an interview last year with the Forward, after a campaign event with union organizers, Shapiro said he understood organizing as an effective tool when he was 6 and he joined his parents in campaigning for the release of Jews in the Soviet Union. 52.9K followers. Who is Josh Shapiro? I'm proud of my record in Montgomery County, turning record deficits into consecutive budget surpluses while making new, critical investments in open spaces, infrastructure, human services, and public safety while reducing debt. Ed Rendell, who is also Jewish, says Shapiros focus on his Judaism is pretty unique and effective: People are looking for someone who has strong faith. And Josh believes in cooperation, I think of him in those days as a team-builder.. On the day before he was set to be sworn in as Pennsylvanias governor, Josh Shapiro had somewhere important to be: the Jewish community center in the state capital of Harrisburg. Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images By Jacob Kornbluh November 9, 2022 Shapiros gubernatorial campaign launch last April was an ad in which he declared, I make it home Friday nights for Sabbath dinner, while the camera closed on challahs. With our two year old, Lori and I moved back home in 2003 to the community where I grew up. This page was last changed on 5 February 2023, at 19:16. In 2008, Shapiro was among just a handful of establishment Democrats who endorsed Barack Obama for president in a state that Hillary Clinton won in the primaries. Israeli Orthodox Jew raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of settler riot, Wikipedias Supreme Court tackles alleged conspiracy to distort articles on Holocaust, This Purim, a space for queer Jews to celebrate their identities and dance the night away. Todd Eisenberg, now a Montgomery County judge, recalled playing basketball with Shapiro for the high school team. He went to the University of Rochester, qualifying for the Division III basketball team, but soon realized that excellence on the Akiba court was mediocrity in an NCAA setting, she recalled. Shapiros political orientation was apparent early on. Senator John Fetterman, former President Barack Obama, Josh Shapiro and President Joe Biden at a rally at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Nov. 5, 2022. Legislative demographic data provided by Aristotle International, Inc. Vote Smart's mission is to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to. He is the third Jewish governor in Pennsylvania's history, following Milton Shapp and Ed Rendell. Matt Rourke and Gene J. Puskar/AP Photos. In 2016, Shapiro was elected Pennsylvania attorney general. 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. ) . His father was a pediatrician, and his mother was an educator. Shapiro ran for student president and lost, to classmate Ami Eden (who is now CEO of the Jewish Telegraphic Agencys parent company, 70 Faces Media). I'll stand up for consumers who get ripped off. (Mark Makela/Getty Images). Shapiro may have a baby face, but he is not a baby in the world of politics. It is clear, back then and today, that he posed the clearest contrast. "Which is to educate, empower and respect peoples personal decisions and respect their personal freedom to make those choices.". He used to work on Capitol Hill during the day, enrolled at the Georgetown University Law Center as an evening student, and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2002. Josh Shapiro has two siblings; a brother, Adam, and a sister, Rebecca. Josh Shapiro with his siblings, Adam and Rebecca. Web2,139 posts. That transition team bears signs of Shapiros long and deep Jewish ties. At a rally, Mastriano said: "Josh Shapiro stands for all that is wrong with the Democrat Party. It was an erev-inauguration stop that made sense for Shapiro, elected in November over a Republican whose campaign was continually mired in antisemitism allegations. No one ever worked for me who was as bright and focused, with such steely determination, Torricelli told The Philadelphia Inquirer last year. At 49 years old, Shapiro will be Pennsylvanias youngest elected governor since 46-year-old Dick Thornburgh. Lieberman, the first Jew on a major-party presidential ticket, recalled being ridiculed and questioned by Jewish groups for expressing his faith at campaign events, That hasnt happened for Shapiro, who is part of a relatively younger generation including congresspersons. It was not reality. He would be proved right. Their example inspired Josh to enter into public service, and from a young age, Josh recognized that standing up for others was how he wanted to spend his career. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. Josh Shapiro (D) will appoint an interim senator. No I really try not to take any of these things personally, and stay focused on what really matters, which is the people Im trying to represent.. I'm proud to have authored the most sweeping ethics reforms in Pennsylvania in generations. It is a source of delight to Shapiro and his backers that his open Jewish identity did not alienate Pennsylvanians; indeed, he fared well in the conservative center of the state, a fact that his campaign boasted about in an email sent to the media a week after the election, when most campaigns are wrapping up business. And the families were desperate to find out if their loved ones were among the dead, and obviously, by that hour, it was becoming more and more clear.. He is leading on criminal justice reform, bringing activists and law enforcement together to launch a new statewide police misconduct data-base, taking on employers who steal from Pennsylvania workers. Josh put the county back on solid financial footing, took early steps to combat the heroin epidemic, helped the first LGBTQ+ couples in Pennsylvania marry, and fired Wall Street money managers to save taxpayers and retirees millions. In 2011, his onetime boss, former Rep. Joe Hoeffel, was gearing up to run for reelection as a county commissioner. Shapiros friends and neighbors say his faith is not just genuine, but deep. Shapiro and Davis have collaborated in recent years, including on an antiviolence initiative in McKeesport and on a police misconduct database set up by the AGs office in the wake of George Floyds killing. Moreover, he was born to Steven A. Shapiro (father), however, there is no information about his mother and early life. Likewise, he belongs to white ethnicity and holds an American nationality. Furthermore, Shapiro attended the University of Rochester and graduated from there with magna cum laude in 1995. Today, people in Montgomery County are once again proud of their government. Mastriano, the spot hammers, is way too extreme.. And I think theyre understanding and inclusive and accepting.. Shapiro may have a baby face, but he is not a baby in the world of politics. We showed that we could reform our pension system without hurting hard working government employees. His daughter got it for him on a recent trip to Israel. He is serving his second term and Josh Shapiro has been married to Lori since May 25, 1997. she and her husband loved Israel more than Jews did. Im an executive., (Levin remains close to Shapiro and his family; last fall, she ran into Shapiro and his daughter Sophia, who led student outreach during his campaign, at an airport in San Antonio. Shapiro had a short list of lieutenant governor candidates, which included Sims and Rep. Patty Kim, of Harrisburg, who Perhaps Shapiros most direct antecedent is Joe Lieberman, the Orthodox former Connecticut senator who was Al Gores vice presidential running mate in 2000. During the encounter, which Groen and Shapiro did not make public at the time, the teens went from standoffish to hugging 93-year-old Sipora Groen after hearing her story. Shapiro defeated Republican Senator John Rafferty after receiving 3.4 million votes, the most in Pennsylvania history. 'That's my guy. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chris Fitzgerald was a devoted public servant who was proud to be a police officer and set an example in the community he patrolled, Gov. I think that demonstrates that the hype that Senator Obama had a problem with the Jewish community was just that it was hype. "There is no fight too big, no mountain too high to climb," Shapiro said while on tour in Beaver, Pennsylvania on November 1. They just refused to accept that that kind of hate would sort of permeate the community. The Democrat from Montgomery County announced his candidacy for governor in 2022 earlier this month. Josh Shapiro rose to prominence in 2016 when he was first elected as Pennsylvania attorney general. Shapiros ultimate victory was especially sweet to many Jews because he defeated a Republican, Doug Mastriano, who had centered Shapiros Jewishness, but not in a positive way. Heres everything you need to know about The Grinch sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. Hes standing up for everyday consumers, seniors whove been scammed, and students preyed upon by private lenders by obtaining over $328 million in relief to Pennsylvanians who have been ripped off. Leading up to the January inauguration of Josh Shapiro and Austin Davis, the Shapiro-Davis Inaugural Committee held a series of four interactive contests that would give community members a chance to be part of the inauguration of Pennsylvanias next governor and lieutenant governor. They recalled to Philadelphia Magazine in 2007. Dad to four kids. So he certainly understands the process, he understands the amendments, and really what it takes to get a bill across the finish line, Cutler said. On Nov. 30, Shapiro and Davis announced the makeup of their WebIf one of Pennsylvanias Senate seats becomes vacant, Gov. I said, We need to do an ad on this. We need to tell people who this guy really is.. Shapiro was born on June 20, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, to a father serving in the Navy, and was raised in Dresher, a part of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Post Office Box 22635 Shapiro also facilitated a settlement between Highmark and UPMC, two healthcare giants who had been in a dispute for years. WebJosh Shapiro is a radical pro-abortion activist who has spent his career attacking pro-life Pennsylvanians, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, Catholic nuns who dedicate their lives to serving the elderly poor, said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. And talking about his own relationship with God is something that helps Shapiro reach out to people, whether theyre influential Black pastors in Philadelphia or rank-and-file Republican voters in western Pennsylvania. Vote Smart's mission is to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to ALL Americans. Levin, his high school teacher, remembered a call Shapiro made when he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate. WebJosh Shapiro's Biography . Transition Leadership Board. But Shapiros faith in the people of Pennsylvania has been tested before. Austin Davis, left, has announced that he will run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, alongside Josh Shapiro, right, who is the Democractic candidate for governor. The first Jewish governor in the history of Pennsylvania who ran for president also bore the last name Shapiro. He has staked his campaign on the idea that voters will reject Mastriano not only because hes conservative on abortion or the economy or some other issue but also because, he argues, he peddles racist things, he peddles antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, you name it.. But that moment justified it. That is not freedom. In a sign of his polish with Pennsylvanians, Shapiros margin of victory was substantially wider than that of John Fetterman, the Democrat elected to the states open Senate spot. It was, Groen said, typical of Shapiros approach to changing hearts and minds: Josh realized thats how you reach kids who got in trouble and who needed to understand life in a different manner, he recalled. As AG, he has restored integrity to an office badly in need of reform and taken on big fights for the people. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The worst part the public reaction to each scandal is a combination of outrage and, "well what can you expect?' In addition to the Tanakh from the Tree of Life synagogue, his swearing-in will reportedly take place on a Bible used by a Jewish soldier from Pennsylvania in World War II. Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiros energy can seem limitless when theres a political stage or an open microphone. In 2011, Shapiro returned home to Montgomery County where he was elected to the Montgomery County Commissioners while Democrats took control for the first time in the countys history. But then the conversations took a turn Aronchick didnt expect. In addition to my work in Montgomery County, I'm honored to serve as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Tom Wolf just endorse Josh Shapiro for governor in 2022? (Mastriano renounced antisemitism, but pointedly, not Torba.) He was the point guard so he was always the leader of everything, Eisenberg said. Mastriano had allied with an outspoken antisemite, Andrew Torba, the founder of the far-right social media site, Gab, paying for promotion on Gab and accepting a donation from Torba. Shapiros parents set a very good example for me to live a life of faith and service, he said. Shapiro has for decades told people it was the only race he lost. 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